


Per Aspera Ad Astra

by Dragoniz



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, PWP, Probably a porn with plot, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-21 05:02:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6039226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragoniz/pseuds/Dragoniz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reader, a workaholic officer of the First Order with a secretive past, goes and gets herself involved with three of the most influential men in the galaxy. What could possibly go wrong?<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Several fellow officers laughed and hollered at a joke you hadn't heard. You looked up quickly from your lunch and grinned, pretending to hold the same amount of enthusiasm as your friends.

An officer across from you (whose name you could never put to his face, for whatever reason) at the table pointed his fork at your food, a brow raised, "What's that face for? Was the joke that bad or did someone slip a nausea stim into your lunch again?"

"Wanna taste it and find out?" You quipped, pushing one of your sweets toward him. The man's features scrunched in wary disgust, and a female from somewhere to your right called out, "Come  _on,_ Jari, just  _taste_ it."

"That's what she said." You burst out, unable to help yourself. You smiled proudly as your colleagues threw their heads back in laughter, clapping your hand against those who offered their own for a high-five.

Shaking your head and grabbing a bite of food, you didn't notice the table suddenly straight backed and devoid of emotion until it was too late. You pressed your lips together and followed their gazes to over your shoulder, where a familiar authority figure stood, face in that constant state of disapproval.

"Officer [l/n], my office. Now." The ginger-haired general scowled down at you, chin up and hands concealed behind his intimidating figure.

You sighed, but didn't dare instigate him, "Yes, General."

He turned on his heel and marched out of the room, shoes clicking. You could almost imagine a cape on his back, sweeping evenly with his stride.

You sent a pleading look to your friends at the table as you stood but were met with only apologetic grins and awkward shrugs. With a final mock solute to the other officers, you jogged to catch up with Hux already halfway down the corridor. It wasn't as if you needed him to guide you to his office, in fact, you had the route memorized at that point, but it always felt like less of a reprimand and more of a social call if you had someone to keep you company on the way there.

"It continues to amaze me." He murmured just loud enough and without a single acknowledgement to the fact that he'd spoken for you to wonder if it were to himself or otherwise.

"General?" You inquired, curious as to both what he meant by the mysterious phrase and how he'd intended you to interpret it.

But he simply shook his head, refusing to explain any further. Burning with curiosity, you forced yourself to hold your tongue on the elevator ride and the rest of the walk to his office.

Finally you arrived and the door swished open. The General strode confidently to his desk, pausing momentarily on the other end to motion for you to be at ease before sitting in a chair that reminded you of a starship. You gave the customary nod before practically lounging in the seat across from Hux, back slouched and legs crossed.

The words that you were sure you'd uttered a thousand times before fell from your lips, "I, officer [f/n] [l/n], formally apologize for my inappropriate actions and ask that I receive just ramifications for them, General."

The man stared at a datapad and made a waving motion in your general direction, as if issuing you to leave. Too relieved to question him, you stood abruptly from your chair and had already found yourself a few measly strides from the door when he called you back. 

Trying to hide the worry in your expression, you spun back around and set your jaw, "Yes, General?"

"We have one more matter to discuss. Please, Officer," he nodded once at the empty seat, brows raised in challenge, "sit."

You made your way back to the front of his desk, much more stiff now that all his attention was on you. Hux's eyes were shadowed thanks to his hat hanging slightly off center, and his forearms were placed evenly on the surface in front of him, fingers interlocked.

"As of tomorrow morning, you will no longer be reporting to the Basic Communications Division; instead you will report to the Insterstellar Communications Interpreting Division in Sector six, Bay ten."

"Wait..." You raised a brow at the General, unaware if this was his sick attempt at humor, "Are you...is this a promotion?"

You could tell that he was suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, "Yes, [y/n], this is indeed a promotion. Congratulations."

The excitement bubbling inside you was ready to emerge, but you held it back, "Surely there are people more qualified. I mean, I know you're not the biggest fan of my attitude--"

"I am not." He agreed, sending you a pointed look of certainty, " _But,_ your skills as an officer? Truly met by no other. In purely statistical terms, you are the  _only_ officer in your division with the work ethic and qualifications required for the position by a long shot. Though we have our differences, I cannot deny your prowess as a fellow member of the First Order. So, once again, I congratulate you, [y/n]."

He couldn't help the tiny smirk that crept onto his face when you spun about in the chair, a cheer emanating from your mouth and your arms thrown to the sky in triumph.

" _Now_ you are dismissed." The General motioned to the door, eyes softened. 

You bounded across the room, allowing the door to slide open but stopping in the doorway to smile genuinely at the oh-so-grumpy General, "Hux." His head snapped up immediately as if he wasn't used to hearing his own name, "Thank you."

Once he satisfied you with one final half smile, you sped back to your division for what would be the last time, eager to spread the news of your incredible luck.


	2. Chapter 2

Seven days had passed since you'd announced your promotion. Your friends, bless them, had thrown you a party that very night in celebration. It hadn't been anything grand, of course, a simple sharing of booze and stories in a trooper's quarters, but it was the thought that counted. Another thing that counted, though, had been your hangover practically bashing you on the head throughout your first day as an Interstellar Communications and Interpretations Officer--and speaking of which, you were getting real fucking tired of rattling off that mouthful every time you were called to report your position. The trooper whose room the get-together had occurred at had taken to calling you ICIO, even if it hadn't necessarily caught on.

Your first three days had been a mess of paperwork. You'd been swamped, but you powered through and later found out that it took most newbies at least two weeks to sort through the mountainous challenge. This accidental feat had earned you the respect of your superiors, though you expected to lose it once they spent a minute or two around you when the "real you" wasn't hiding away in her work uniform. Thankfully your strict "on the clock, off the clock" work hours prevented this, but they also prevented you from conversing with any coworkers not in your immediate vicinity, which wouldn't have been such a problem if the men on either side of you weren't so utterly  _boring._

The only eventful moment you could recall from the last week was on your first day when Hux had introduced you to the towering and ominous Kylo Ren. The General had nearly given you a heart attack when he tapped on you shoulder and presented you with a man whose reputation preceded him so immensely. It had been such an embarrassing event for you that you'd nearly blocked the entire instance from your head, but from what you could remember you were completely flustered and at a loss for words. You'd disappointed Hux with your reaction, you were almost certain of that, but the Knight had, for whatever reason, seemed somewhat amused if the cock of his helmeted head had anything to say in the matter.

" _[y/n]._ "

You were pulled out of your memories by an unfamiliar voice desperately calling your name. Still a bit flustered by your past actions, you blinked several times and swiveled your head about, ignoring the warmth on your cheeks as you searched for the source of the yell.

Finally, you spotted one of your superiors waving you down from his station across the room. He raised his brows and pointed at your screen. You trailed your eyes to your station and were met with the bright red flashing of an emergency signal. Wildly you recollected yourself and pushed the answer button on your panel, adjusting your headset accordingly.

"...Asteroid Belt Seven. I repeat, air filter compromised and remaining supply dwindling! This is First Order trooper FN-2187 requesting emergency assistance in Asteroid Belt Seven. I repeat..."

Your heart rose to your throat, beating so loudly you were sure everyone around you could hear it. You took a second or two to breathe, to think. The manual had said something about an emergency situation concerning an internal affair of First Order personnel was to be reported immediately to the residing General. Hux.

More panicked than you would have preferred to be, you exhaled a shaky breath and clicked on the mic to your headset, your frequency matched to that of the trooper in peril, "FN-2187? This is Interstellar Communications and--oh, screw it, I'm an officer and I'm going to save you. Conserve whatever air you have left in that suit until absolutely necessary. Breathe evenly. I'm going to inform General Hux of the situation and he's going to send someone to save you."

The relieved gasp on the other end of the line was unmistakable, "Thank you, Officer. I thought--"

" _Conserve your air_." you repeated, searching your control panel for the button you so desperately desired. Where was it? Where the hell was the button to call Hux? A man was going to live or die at your hands because you couldn't find a damn button?

Cursing, you stood from you station and fled the room, not stopping to explain to the officers that called after you. A few troopers stopped to stare as you sprinted past in the hall, but you were too determined to care. Silently you thanked Hux for having an office on the same floor as your new division and you pushed the button on the wall to open his door as soon as you arrived, not bothering to knock.

Hair and uniform disheveled, you panted from the doorway, barely noticing the occupant in your favorite "reprimand" chair, "General! There's a ship out in Asteroid Belt Seven; the trooper inside is about to die. I need you to approve someone to send a fighter after it."

Your eyes widened, but you supposed it was only fate that Kylo Ren be the one to stand from in front of Hux's desk. They both stared at you in absolute astonishment.

"Er, Commander." You acknowledged him, standing at attention for only a second before turning yourself back to the General with a pleading stare.

Hux's eyes were cold and apathetic as he spoke, "We can spare one trooper. Leave. And from now on, Officer, call me with such matters."

Utterly at a loss for words, you stared at the man from the other side of the room, mouth parted. A man's life was in your hands...didn't he care?

" _Leave._ " Hux repeated, venomous.

Closing your mouth and swallowing, you took a step back. The doors swished closed and you stared at the cold, gray metal. Was that what the gray in this base stood for? Moral ambiguity? You'd never been a fan of the General, but you'd never considered him morally appalling. And yet he'd just thrown a person's life away.

And then you heard it again in your ears, the pleadings of a suffocating man in a ship easily reachable by a single TIE Fighter. Suddenly you found yourself filled with determination. Purpose.

Again you slammed the button. His door slid open and you stalked to the General's desk, not stopping to take note of the man armed with a lightsaber mere inches away.

You'd slammed your fist down on the table, you realized, "Listen, Hux. Call in that TIE Fighter or, Stars help me, I will go down to the bay myself and steal one. A trooper is not going to die because you're too apathetic to give a shit."

From the burning passion in his eyes alone you could tell he'd never, ever been spoken to like that before. Hux didn't answer you. Instead he touched a screen on his desk and the face of an officer appeared. The General relayed the situation to her, his burning eyes not moving from your own, and informed her that the General was allowing access to the departure of a single TIE Fighter. Once her hologram disappeared, Hux turned on you. You'd never seen his face as red as his hair before that moment.

"Officer [y/n] [l/n]." He began, the calmness of his voice betrayed by the gloved fists so obviously clenched at his sides, "You are hereby suspended for two weeks without pay. You will remain in your quarters and go nowhere outside of them unless authorized by me. Meals will be brought to you regularly. You are  _dismissed_."

Rebelliously defiant as you were, you outright glared at the General, furious with the man for so many, many things, "Yes, General."

As you stomped out of Hux's office, you caught sight of Kylo Ren resting his head on his hand and his elbow on the arm of the chair. His legs were set apart. It pissed you off to see him in such a casual stance after the situation that had just unfolded in front of him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Son of a Hutt." You cursed, alone, to yourself.

You kicked your work boots back off, shrugged out of your coat, and tugged your hair down to its natural state. You'd forgotten about your suspension entirely until you got to the door and concluded it wasn't opening for any code or fingerprint you had. For some reason you hadn't expected Hux to actually confine you to your quarters, but you  _had_ yelled in his face right in front of the Commander.

Isolation had never been easy for you. Sure, in training you'd gone days at a time without speaking to anyone in person, but at those times you'd been so occupied with work that it'd kept you busy. Now you had nothing but a bed, a datapad, and infinitely gray decor for amusement. 

Sleeping was obviously out of the question. Your training had been similar to military training in that a tight schedule was to be kept--that is to say, once you're up, you're up. 

You sat at the desk in the northeastern corner and flipped through a few screens of the datapad. Much of it you'd already seen. Because datapads were distributed to all First Order personnel, most information was blocked (or codeblocked, as your most mature ex-colleagues preferred) on a strictly need-to-know basis. Which meant, yay for you, studying wanted posters.

You skipped over the big ones, faces like General Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker that you'd had burned into your Temporal Lobe during basic training, and read about a few low time bounties. A small alien woman in particular caught your eye, but there was only about a paragraph of info on her for you to study.

Disappointed and bored, you flopped down onto your bed and splayed out, digging into the upper-most blanket with your fingers. The worst part about your suspension was that Hux knew how utterly you despised downtime and so he'd gone and thrown  _two fucking weeks_ of it your way. Any other officer would have surely been fired on the spot (and secretly killed, probably), though Hux had a soft spot for you--not that that was news to anyone.

Your first day on the base, just over a year before, you'd been sent to Hux's office by a superior for something akin to "inappropriate usage of communications equipment." Long story short, you and the General had ended up conversing for hours about your shared love for monitoring and busy work in general. You'd had to stave off rumors for months after the instance about literally and figuratively kissing Hux's ass, but no regrets were had.

"Hux you beautiful, rude ass." You muttered bitterly, not bothering to filter yourself.

A sudden knock at the door sent a pulse of anxiety coursing through your veins, but once you realized there was quite literally no way for them to have heard you talking to yourself, you called out in the door's direction, "Who is it?"

No reply sounded. Excited for company, you hoisted your bare feet to the floor and padded over to the steel contraption, then spoke again, "The door's locked from the outside."

You heard the beeping of a keypad and allowed yourself to get hopeful. Had Hux decided to let you off the detention? You _were_ on rather good behavior.

Your hope faded when the door opened vertically to reveal a stormtrooper, plate of food in hand. They nodded once at you, a greeting, and handed the tray over, "Breakfast. General Hux hopes you slept well."

You sniffed, "Tell General Hux that he looks likes an angry child when he blushes."

The trooper paused before hesitantly saluting and re-locking the door. Satisfied that you'd have the last word with the General, you sat down and poked around at the food in front of you. You were too emotional to be hungry. It was like Hux _wanted_ to piss you off to no fucking end.

An hour passed. You ate, you stretched, you bathed, and you even put yourself in that fancy robe you never wore. It was a softer material than you expected it to be and the color was a beautiful deep red that made you feel absolutely lovely. You spent the rest of the day lounging around in that robe with only the occasional interruption of a stormtrooper with a meal. Since your last message Hux hadn't bothered to send another, which was probably for the best; you didn't want to make the troopers be the shot messengers in the situation.

Finally sleep found you a whopping hour before usual. It was peaceful and dreamless, but not energizing. You woke early the next morning with droopy lids and sore limbs. You were tired and bored and lost and it was only the second day and you _hated_ it. 

After breakfast arrived you began to pull old boxes from the closet and miraculously found an unused headset. It was an older model, but the microphone seemed to function fine and the frequency search light flashed on when you flicked it. Though it had to be testing your luck, you stuck the metal piece in your ear and listened intently.

For a minute only static met you, but just as you were about to throw the thing away, an unmistakably familiar voice rose to the center of attention.

"Troops have returned from Hoth and Dantooine. We scoured the planet for signs of a base of operations. Both were clean."

The voice that answered Hux was deep and grainy, like metal grinding metal, "Check again, General. I expect results this time."

Someone inhaled, "Yes, Supreme Leader."

You assumed that marked the termination of the brief conversation, but the man, the Supreme Leader, growled something that sent shivers down your spine, "I sense a presence..."

"Would you like me to summon the Command--"

"No."

Static took over the frequency once again. Oddly intrigued, and slightly terrified for whatever reason, you turned down the volume but kept the headset on your skull. It seemed that, at least for the time being, the General and this mysterious Supreme Leader would be the heading source of your entertainment .


	4. Chapter 4

"NOW."

You hit the ground with a _thunk_ , your legs entangled with your bedding. Almost immediately after you came to the understanding that the Supreme Leader had scared you out of bed, someone's banging at the door caused you to jump.

Flustered, you listened intently for more conversation as you scrambled to stand and adjust your sleepwear. There was comm silence, as you referred to it on the job, but you didn't dare remove the piece from your ear. 

"You can open it!" You yelled to the steel. 

Muted beeps, and then a swoosh. The trooper stood at attention with their chin held high and their posture near perfect. Brows pinched together, you approached, "What, no breakfast?"

"Your presence has been requested."

"Tell Hux I'd rather spend my suspension alone than with him." What you'd really wanted to growl was,  _tell Hux he can suck my cock,_ but you weren't sure your presiding officer would take the words so lightly.

The trooper cleared their throat and titled their head at an odd angle as if they refused to look you in the eye, "Officer, your presence has been requested by Commander Ren."

Had the blood fled your veins? Suddenly you felt cold. You rubbed at the newly risen nubs on your bare arms and came to the realization that you were still wearing your sleepwear.

"Perhaps I should change."

They simply nodded in agreement. You smirked at the behavior of the person, slightly envious of their innocence but forever bitter at the First Order for allowing their forces so little freedom. It was unjust enough that it hurt.

Not willing to waste a second of Kylo Ren's time, because who the hell knew why he wanted to see a suspended officer, you dressed quickly in your walk-in closet before meeting the trooper again at the doorway. After a quick mental debate you decided it best to throw the headset to your bed and hope nothing interesting occurred in your absence.

Once you informed them that you were ready and had no idea where the Commander's quarters were, the soldier clad in white led you through enough hallways for you to know that you were in a sector you hadn't once thought of stepping foot in. In fact, you thought you'd never even  _heard_ of anyone coming and going from the place. Did the Commander have an entire sector of the base to himself? If he did......well, you couldn't say you were surprised.

At the third door on the right, something you'd already mentally taken note of, your escort paused. They pressed and held a gloved finger to a minuscule button on the left of the entrance and stated quickly, "The Officer you requested."

The door opened just as soon as it'd been said. No one waited on the other side, which you found incredibly and unnecessarily creepy. It was a bit of a comfort to you when the guard followed you inside.

His quarters were basically the bigger and more technological version of yours. There was no bed in  _his_ main room, though, which pissed you off more than you would have liked to admit. An entire quarter of the room was sanctioned for use of a holoterminal, but you weren't as jealous of that as you were sure it was restricted to work-related conversations. Four doors (two more than you had) decorated the otherwise bare walls and--oh. A terrifying six-foot mass of black and silver practically loomed over you even though he stood feet away at a computer.

"You are dismissed." He nodded at the door and the trooper left swiftly. Had you heard him speak before? You were sure you would have remembered such a deep, distorted key.

You swallowed, but did your best to hide your nervousness. Good officers never showed fear, even if you were panicked at the possibility that the Knight in front of you had somehow found out one of your supposedly well-kept secrets. Straight out of the handbook, that phrase.

"[y/n]."

Your stomach nearly flipped when your name rolled off his hidden tongue, deep and monotonous, but you kept your cool, "Kylo Ren."

Some sort of breathy, uneven huff sound came from him. Had it been...a laugh? If such a sound was his laugh you'd hate to hear his cry. Either the confusion was written all over your face or he'd "sensed" it (admittedly you had little idea how the Force functioned), because the Knight took a break from the conversation to gesture towards one of the chairs against his wall. You obeyed, grabbing the closest one and taking a seat in the familiar comfortable-sometimes-uncomfortable-other-times material. Not a seat in Starkiller was made of anything different, you were positive.

"So...Commander." You began as you watched the way his limbs betrayed him as he sat, legs too long to bend comfortably and arms too large to set easily on the rests, "I'll admit it: I have no idea why you called me here."

He tapped his index finger against the cold furniture's surface a few times before leaning forward to set his elbows on his knees. You didn't have to see under the mask to know he was boring his eyes into you searching for stars knows what. 

Just before he spoke the voice disruptor on his mask crackled, the sound sending chills along your skin, "I know about your lineage."

Your blood ran cold. He couldn't possibly mean....no, there was no way. Was there? Fearing you'd paused too long, you choked out a reply, "What?"

You tried your absolute best to portray genuine confusion but you feared he could see straight through your mask, "Your mother. Your grandfather. I know everything."

"I'm sorry, Commander, I don't--"

" _Do not play dumb with me._ " He barked, standing abruptly. Suddenly he was so fucking big and enclosing on you that you felt claustrophobic; you couldn't move or breathe or take your eyes off the slits in his helmet. The way his right hand shook was scaring you. You backed as far away as the tiny chair would allow, which was  _not_ far, and swallowed, "I'm not! I-I swear!"

But then your back was straight again, somehow seeming straighter than it'd ever been, and your muscles wouldn't listen to your brain. Your fingers clamped tightly around whatever was closest and you stared and willed them to stretch, twitch, to do  _anything_ , but nothing would listen. You couldn't move. Kylo Ren was using the Force on you.

The gloved hand that'd been trembling was there in front of your gaze. At first you thought he might grab at your throat or hit you but he just held it there, steady. And then you felt something deep, deep in the back of your head--a presence in the far reaches of your mind. You weren't sure how exactly but you knew it was him, there, battling his way through your thoughts and memories and feelings. Suddenly nothing was sacred anymore; you felt as if your entire existence was on the line being judged by a complete, terrifying stranger.

It was only about thirty seconds in before your body began to turn against you, your subconscious grabbing at any straw and taking any extreme to push the intruder from your mind. Your heart was pounding in your ears and your insides were twisting and turning so harshly you felt as if they might wrench their way out of you.

Almost as soon as it had intruded, yet an eternity later, the ghost in your mind fled. You stopped screaming, which you hadn't realized you'd been doing until you were on the floor on hands and knees, sputtering and gasping for air. Your muscles felt strained and your limbs moved like swamp slime.

You hadn't heard his heavy movements, but when you wrenched your eyes from the tile the Knight was across the room, ready to push the button and leave you to succumb to your hysteria. Which was, of course, what the man did, but just before he slammed his thumb into the wall and stalked from his quarters, Kylo Ren took one last look at you on his floor and commanded, remorseless, "Never lie to me again, [y/n]."


	5. Chapter 5

The aftereffects of the Force were...weird. It was no less than an hour after you'd fled from Kylo Ren's quarters to the cell the was your own, but you still felt it. In the pit of your stomach it was nauseating, but under the pulse of your blood and behind every breath you could taste the slightest thrum of power and it was  _intoxicating._ You imagined it was similar to the effects of electrocution on a large scale.

Once every bit of the sensation passed, you sat at your bed and pushed the headset into your ear. Silence met your eardrums. Not even static anymore, but silence.

You cursed and tossed the headset, understanding that, since the frequency was undoubtedly still active, the old piece of technology had met its timely end. There went your entertainment source. Not that you had anything to feel rather than fear anymore.

Since the moment he'd brought up your bloodline, you'd been scouring your thoughts for any possible living source Kylo Ren could've acquired the information from. He might have found out from you even, as it seemed he could read fucking minds.

The knock at the door only furthered your dread. When Hux's voice informed you from the other side that he was entering, you weren't really sure whether to be relieved or even more anxious than before. Him and the Commander were close, but how close? Close enough to be in league against you, probably.

"Good morning."

"It's been horrible, actually."

He pressed his lips into a line. You exhaled and shook your head, not making eye contact, "Fuck. You knew. Of course you knew."

It sounded like he was approaching, but you didn't dare meet his gaze. He'd betrayed you. He'd let a fellow officer be tortured in the most violating way possible, but why would he care? As you'd recently learned, the General had no conscience. 

He stood awkwardly a few feet away as you sat unmoved from your disheveled bed, "Ren believed it was the only way to extract the information from you. You had spent so long, years, building a new identity for yourself. He and I agreed it to be unlikely that you relent the information under normal interrogation."

You scoffed, whipping your gaze around to meet his eyes, "That was  _torture_ , Hux. My mind has been raped."

He winced at your description. He went to speak, but then closed his mouth and looked down as he brought his hands round from behind his back to inspect them. You watched him remove his leather gloves slowly, one finger at a time, and got pissed at yourself for finding it so damn sexy. When he requested to take his own seat on your bed, you didn't deny him it.

 "Are...how are you?"

Part of you wished he'd gone with the obviously intended phrasing of  _are you okay?,_ but your employer was one to keep things professional...impersonal, "Funny how you care only when I'm no longer in trouble, eh?"

It hadn't escaped you that he'd yet to give any sort of apology. He went quiet, peering again at his lap and the bed, anything but you, basically.

Just as you were about to break the silence with some sort of snarky/sarcastic remark, you caught the General's gaze peering intently to your side. For a moment you contemplated whether you'd left underwear lying around or something of the sort, but then you remembered how you'd carelessly flung the headset aside, too bothered by your emotions to take precautions. Shit.

Unfortunately Hux was already reaching for the glint of metal, eyes squinted, as you panicked. You couldn't imagine the punishment for listening in on private conversations between the General and the Supreme Leader. Was there something worse than death? Whatever that was, it was surely to be your chastening.

So you grabbed his wrist, probably the most suspicious thing you could have possibly done other than leaping in front of the object and attempting to divert the man's attention. He blinked once, slowly, and turned slightly to give you a look of wariness. If you didn't do something right then and there you were absolutely screwed...but perhaps the solution hadn't been to lean forward and kiss him.

Maybe it'd been those stupidly pouted lips or way he seemed to shrink under your slightest touch, but your reasons didn't much matter when your lips prowled across his, feeling and searching with a lust for the man you hadn't even realized you'd had. After a few seconds of him not returning the gesture, you moved your face and hand away from his respectively, eyes still squeezed shut for just a brief, regretful second.

Shock. You should've been expecting that, right? His eyelids moved apart enough for that faded olive of his irises and the glint in his blown-out pupils to be more present than ever before. His lips were parted and deep pink, rushed with blood. 

 _I apologize, General._ The words floated around in your mind, repeating themselves, but you couldn't seem to bring them to your throat.  _How inappropriate of me,_ your newly muted tongue refused to say.

You must have been staring intently at his face because you didn't notice a single movement of his hand until it was snaking around to halt at your lower back, thrusting you forward until your lips practically brushed against his. You mirrored his heavy breath and hooded eyes, almost expecting him to whisper some sort of remark. The way his lips pummeled about yours, however, couldn't leave you to be unsatisfied. 

Suddenly he was off, breath inhaled, and you nearly let out a damned  _whine._ The sounds that did manage to escape you were a gasp and a moan when he pushed you down on your bed and pressed a heavy kiss under your earlobe. His jaw caressed the sensitive skin near your collar and you found yourself desperately moving to unbutton the top of your uniform, determined to allow him fuller access.

As soon as he realized what you were doing, he started at the bottom of your dark jacket and unbuttoned his way up at expert speed--years of practice with his own fancy getup, you supposed. You couldn't help but smile at how earnest he was to touch you and pleasure you and  _get those pesky clothes off of your body._

By the time you'd discarded your jacket and he'd come up for a second kiss, you'd rid him of his cap and tangled your long fingers in his ginger locks. This time when you kissed he brought his knee up between your thighs and pressed just enough to send a fresh bolt of pleasure through your veins and remind you how much of a mess your accumulating wetness was causing.

"Hux." You breathed into his mouth.

After that it was like his clothes couldn't be removed quickly enough. The General managed to throw off all three of his top layers by the time you removed your one and a bra. The two of you took in each other's nakedness for only a moment before returning to the wanton make-out session now complete with lip biting and tongue grazing.

His body was fully engulfing yours, hands massaging your breasts and working towards your belt, when you both stalled abruptly to the sound of a voice shouting through an earpiece; thank the stars it'd been Hux's and not yours.

"Don't." You protested breathlessly. But he'd already placed his palms on the bed on either side of you and was lifting himself reluctantly. As somewhat of a last-ditch effort, you bit your lower lip and you hooked your index finger on his belt buckle, tugging slightly in your direction, "Please?"

His beautiful eyelids fluttered closed and, a bit to your surprise, he lowered himself back down to give you a long, slow, passionate kiss. But as soon as your traitorous lungs forced you to pull away for air, Hux left your lips and instead placed a smooch on your cheek, halting at your ear to whisper the words you'd been waiting for all morning, "I'm sorry."

When he got up for the second time you knew begging would do nothing but embarrass you. So you watched him redress ruefully, mentally plotting revenge on whoever thought themselves important enough for even a millisecond of Hux's time.

"On my way." He answered the shouts only after two of his layers were on and the headset was secured in his ear. You lazily brought up a blanket to cover yourself as he marched to the other side of the bed, gloves in hand and coat slung over his shoulders in that sexy way that it was. 

He put his thumb and index finger on your chin and leaned forward. Eager for one last touch of his soft lips, you allowed your eyes to shut and your mouth to pout. Swiftly, however, you felt his hand leave your jaw and felt the air as it passed your cheek. Nonplussed, you lifted your lids just in time to see him snatch up something and bring it to his pocket...something shiny and met--

"You  _knew_?" You accused, mouth agape.

He pulled the old headset halfway out of his pocket to turn it over a few times, studying it, before returning it there and flashing you a genuine smile so blinding and gorgeous it left you speechless, "I'll make sure a trooper brings you lunch, Officer."

And then he turned on his heel with the final word, out of sight as soon as the door closed behind him. You laid in bed trying to muster the irritation or anger you were supposed to hold towards the man, but the damn goofy grin on your face gave you away.

___________________________________

"The General's arrived, sir."

"Let him in."

The guard scrambled to use his access card on the door, fearful of the man's scrutiny even if he wasn't currently under Kylo Ren's gaze.

The entrance let way with a mechanical  _swish_ and in stomped Hux. 

"It's about ti--" The Knight stopped himself mid-syllable after getting one look at the man. He didn't need the guidance of the Force to spot the subtle, yet obvious, discrepancies in the General's usually pristine uniform. It wasn't the crease in his left pant leg or even the unperformed button on his shirt that gave him away, but the single strand of fiery hair floating over his temple. Ren didn't  _need_ to use the Force to draw his own conclusions, though it did certainly help to feel Hux's anxiety and passion coming off him in waves, filling the room with his resounding emotions.

Perhaps the General was up to more than he'd thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 0 to 100 real quick right?!??? LOL  
> Anyway.  
> I'm pretty sure this story is going to become a porn with plot. If that ain't your thing I promise to not use force persuasion on you to stay. Have a great day and may the stars guide you. :]


	6. Chapter 6

"Leave it by the door." You commanded the trooper, then, sensing that you'd been bit harsh you added, "Please."

You heard the clanking of the tray on the stand you knew to be near the door, but did not lift your head from the book whose pages had engulfed you. The sound of booted steps approaching, however, was enough to bring you from your reverie and cause a stir in your concentration.

"The General ordered me to give you this."

The trooper's gloved fingers uncurled over your hand and a shiny new headset landed in your palm.

Your eyes shined, "Doesn't he know? My birthday's not for half a year."

The Stormtrooper shifted their weight from one foot to the other, as if uncomfortable. Apparently they hadn't realized you were joking.

"You can leave." You informed them, lips pressed into a smile. They thanked you and left abruptly, clicking the door locked behind them.

"Hux?" You breathed as soon as the set was on and ready. The silence that followed echoed with your desperate call and you mentally cursed. You hadn't spoken to Hux in over 24 hours, not that you were counting, which had been agonizing after the state he'd left you in. 

After Hux had left you'd spent the day skimming through old manuals and reports, but your mind had been on nothing but that straight-faced ginger General the entire time--not only his physical appearance, however. You thought about the way he held more facial expressions with you over anyone else and the way he seemed to send you to his office for the simplest of offenses; perhaps he wasn't as much of a hardass as he put on. In fact, he held the resemblance of a sweetheart on the occasions where he wasn't yelling at subordinates or giving militant orders.

"Fuck's sake, Hux, you're gonna tease me with a shiny new headset and not even respond to me on the only working channel?" Silence again.

Your hands moved across the page of the novel as if you were taking in a single word. But, of course, that same face was running through your brain, his voice murmuring against the edges of your thoughts, and the touches of his fingers ghosts on your skin. You shivered. Did he know how much you wanted him to touch you again? Had he craved for the taste of your lips as much as you had his only moments after his departure? Had he laid down hours later, unable to forget the curvature of your body as he touched himself shamelessly as you had?

" _Sorry. I was in a meeting_."

His voice so loud in your ear caused you to jump, losing your page in _The Complete Technological Blueprint of the Death Star._ You touched lightly on the lower side of the metal in your ear.

Once the sound level was (hopefully) tolerable, you tested the waters, "Hey, you're forgiven."

"Thank the stars, she's forgiven me. How would I have _ever_ gone on otherwise?" He drawled sarcastically, no longer blowing out your eardrums.

"You're the one who apologized." You grinned. It felt funny speaking to someone in a prolonged fashion over a frequency instead of just using a holo. You wondered what his expression was, what he was doing with his hands.

"So you're enjoying the gift, I take it?" 

"It's...nicer than my old one."

"Is that a no?"

"It'd be nice to be able to talk to my friends as well." You said before you thought, then stumbled over your words, "Not that you aren't a friend. I mean, you're....."

You couldn't think of the word. _An infatuation_ , your brain helped you. When he didn't respond after over thirty seconds you cleared your throat, "General? Did I....uh, say something?"

 A short pause, "Er, no, [y/n]. The Captain was turning over reports."

"Oh. Right." You cleared your throat and regained your composure, "You know I wouldn't mind if you left it on. I can't imagine that nobody notices you constantly touching your ear anyway."

He hesitated, "It's not as if it'll be interesting."

"It'll be less confusing."

After a few seconds of silence he conceded, "Alright, alright. I won't touch it."

You smiled to yourself, triumphant, and peered down at the book in your hands. The words still refused to be understood.

"What are you doing?" He inquired in a forced-sounding casual tone.

"Reading." You answered in a tone of actual casualness you were almost sure was impossible for him to achieve.

"I'll...be quiet then."

And he was. You actually managed to read a page or two about the anti-slicing technology on the main hub of the former Empirial military base when someone sounded abruptly from the other end of the microphone.

"General Hux, sir, I was told to inform you of the trooper's state. He's just left the infirmary and is adamant about returning to duty."

The trooper. The one you'd saved at the expense of your free will.

"Fine. Tell him he's been demoted to uniform base patrol and that he'll never fly again if I can help it."

"General." The voice said, and no further conversing ensued.

Assuming the man had left, you piped up, "That was a little harsh."

"Welcome to the life of a First Order General."

"Cute." You muttered. Despite your demand to do so, you almost didn't want to speak to Hux at all if you had to hear him growling at officers all day. Almost.

The rest of the day consisted of declarations of your boredom, an attempt to get Hux to free you, and his imminently snarky remarks. The more of his conversations you heard, the more you realized that the general took no one's shit. He was harsher with some officers for minor misdemeanors than he was with you for most of your major ones, which made you flinch endlessly during their conversations--if the yelling of the ginger man at the terrified workers could be called that.

"Always yelling." You sighed after one of them left his office, their voice shaking. You sifted through your closet as you spoke, tossing out coats that needed a wash, "That's quite stressful, you know. Come by my room later, I'll give you a massage."

The invitation hadn't been subtle, and Hux's flustered tone reflected it, "Er--I....a massage."

You fought a smile, pausing your closet raid to gesture as you spoke as if the man were in front of you, "I mean, it's been a few years since I practiced..."

He cleared his throat, "I don't know if I'd..."

A loud series of knocks at your door interrupted him. Brows pushed together, you murmured, "raincheck," then asked who it was behind the door as lunch wasn't for several hours.

The robotic voice from the other side hesitated, "I'm FN2187. You...saved me." 

" _What_ is that trooper doing there?" Hux barked, making you flinch.

"I can't open it." You apologized, not really acknowledging either of their statements.

"Oh. Hey, it's okay!" The trooper was cheerier than you were accustomed to and it brought a smile to your face, "You don't have to see me, I just wanted to say thank you. If you hadn't done something..."

Hux made a noise of disgust. Instead of responding you reached to the side of your head and touched the piece of technology in your ear, silencing him effectively.

"I know this is a punishment for you," he continued solemnly, "but at least you're on a mini vacation, right?"

"Right." You were glad he didn't know how much you actually enjoyed your work, and how he couldn't read the depression behind your eyes, "I mean no offense, FN-whatever, but you should probably get back to work before the general finds out you're not there."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much. I've got someone covering for me..." A shuffling sounded, then a mutter, "Blast, is that the time?" The technology-shrouded voice rose, "Listen, I don't know if I'll ever see you again, but thanks. Probably everyone else on this base would've left me to die."

"You're...welcome." They were the only words that would leave your lips. You hadn't exactly been prepared in the slightest to converse with the man whose life you'd saved--in fact, you might've preferred him to remain anonymous--but it didn't matter anymore. He was already marching back down the hall to meet up with his squad.

You moved to sit on your bed, touching the piece on your head.

You would've greeted him with something snarky like, "I'm back, ginger--I mean General" had the unmistakable baritone of Kylo Ren not immediately captured you.

You froze at his words:

"...and Snoke agrees. Now open her door or my lightsaber will do it for you."

"....do not make me regret this, Ren."

 _Hux, no_ , you wanted to gasp into his ear, _how could you?_ Yetyour lips wouldn't move and your tongue refused to form the syllables. Hell, you could barely _breathe._

You unintentionally listened in on every footstep, every hiss of an opening door, and every sharp order Hux threw at a soldier along the way.

Why were they coming? What did Snoke have to do with anything? 

 _Focus, [y/n]_. The first thing that you imagined Kylo Ren shouldn't see was Hux's gift. You tossed the earpiece into your desk and made sure the drawer clicked. Next you straightened your bed and uniform, hoping it would seem less suspicious and more like a dutiful employee keeping her surroundings tidy. You barely had time to bolt over to the shelf amd open up to the middle of a random book before the door swished upward.

You hoped your tone was as innocent and surprised sounding as you'd intended, "General.....Commander?"

"Reading about the Galactic Senate." Ren commented, his robotically-enhanced waver sending shivers down your spine. You were clearly about to reply, but he interrupted rather rudely, stalking about your room, "We've come so the General may offer you your job back."

That was something you hadn't heard in their earlier conversation. Apparently Hux hadn't either because when you shot him a look he set his jaw and glared openly at the Knight. Kylo Ren stared back, daring him to question the statement. 

After a heated three and a half seconds of silence, Hux turned himself to you and nodded briefly, "Officer [l/n], on my authority as general, I would formally ask you to return to your position as an Officer of Interstellar Communications and Interpretations."

They didn't speak for an awkward few beats. You realized they were waiting for a response, "Oh, right. I accept."

"Congratulations, you've been promoted to senior officer of your division."

Hux couldn't control his outburst this time, turning on the Commander with a flushed pink face, "A  _promotion?_ She barely understands how to work the console! How is this going to reflect on me?"

You knew he was right, but it didn't keep you from scoffing. You'd placed the novel haphazardly on the shelf after accepting and were now crossing your arms.

" _I don't care, Hux."_ Ren yelled, took a breath, and then ordered him with tensed fists, "You will get someone to teach her. Whoever's best at it. And [y/n]," he tilted his helmet in your general direction. Over his shoulder the sun's light caught the silver of his mask and reflected violently, "every day from this moment forth you will report to my quarters after working hours have finished. I trust you recall their whereabouts?"

You nodded slowly. Ren's stare lingered on Hux for just a moment before he departed, leaving the two of you alone, speechless. You caught each others' eyes. Hux simply glanced away and turned on his heel, sulking out the way Kylo Ren had seconds before. 

At least you had a job.


End file.
